Come to Terms
by Sexidebater
Summary: The war made people come to terms with a lot of things. Hermione never expected Draco Malfoy and Fred Weasley to both love her. And now she must come to terms with the death of one of them. M to be safe


**So this plot bunny has been sitting in the back of my head for MONTHS! In a bid to get it out of my head, I decided to pick up some notebooks and write to my heart's content. You see, I've broken 2 laptops in 3 months, and I can't afford a new one yet! So I promise I'm working on stories, they'll just be one shots mainly. I'll continue the rest of my series when I get a new laptop soon!  
Enjoy!  
_**

Fred asked Hermione to the Yule ball only 2 hours after Viktor had asked her. It was a dream come true for Hermione, who had been crushing on Fred since first year.

Alas, she had already promised herself to Viktor. Fred took it in stride ten glee when he found out who she was going with.

Fred almost punched Ron when Ron asked Hermione to the ball. Ron had done it out of desperation. Fred was disgusted that Ron was treating Hermione so badly. Ron had always treated her badly.

Fred liked Hermione for many reasons. One of the biggest was she could always tell him and George apart. She had noticed that George had a small scar above his right eyebrow from a particularly nasty gnome bite.

He also liked her for her dry wit, her ceaseless research that had helped he and his brother numerous times with their products She was as smart as a whip. A brilliant ray of sunshine.

And he liked her, dare say, he loved her.

He had been infatuated since his 5th year. That was when Hermione really grew into herself, truly found herself.

He always went out of his way to offer her a kind word when Harry and Ron weren't talking to her. Sure, he was pissed about the firebolt incident but she was concerned, and she had just cause to be concerned about Harry. The kid was a walking danger magnet.

It wasn't until right after the Yule Ball, when Ron ruined her night, that Fred finally made his move and gave the chase.

He found her in her favorite nook in the library. A padded window seat that overlooked the Forbidden Forest.

Her knees were pulled against her chest as she silently cried, staring out the window.

She had heard Fred approach and was the first to speak.

"Tonight was supposed to be perfect, or as perfect as possible, as I went with Viktor and not you," she said softly. "But your prat brother ruined it with his unnecessary jealousy."

She turned her head suddenly to look at Fred, "All I wanted was my first kiss tonight. I purposefully made myself look the part. While I didn't necessarily want it from Viktor, I would have accepted it. I'd've take it from almost anyone, 'cept Ron, Harry, or Malfoy. But I had a preference."

Fred slowly approached her and sat on the windowsill next to her. His gaze was trained on her face as he asked his question. "Who was your preference?"

Hermione gave a watery smile, "You of course. If you had asked me just hours earlier to go to the ball with you, I would have said yes with zero hesitation."

What Fred did next surprised them both. He lifted his right hand and gently caressed her face, wiping away some of her tears.

Hermione's breath hitched.

Fred leaned in and rested his forehead on hers, "It's not too late to receive your first kiss."

"I'm a mess Fred. I'm not sure you want to kiss me right now," she said softly.

"That doesn't matter to me," he replied, his voice quiet but husky. With that, he pressed his lips gently against hers.

To Hermione, her first kiss was prefect and would be something she would remember forever.

When they separated, there was lust in his eyes. Hermione smiled and stood up. "Come along Fred, we best return to the common room for bed."

She held out her hand and Fred took it. He relished at her touch.

They walked slowly to the common room, making a few stops along the way to kiss.

Fred loved her hand in his and when they reached the Fat Lady, Fred gave her a goodnight kiss before the portrait swung open and they parted ways to their separate dormitories.

Thus began their relationship.

It was one of the worst-kept secrets at Hogwarts. The only people who didn't notice were Ron and Harry. But they wouldn't notice a troll until they walked face first into its backside.

Their relationship was tested during 5th year as Umbridge terrorized the school. The DA brought them closer though. They would practice together in empty classrooms; mainly McGonagall's, who looked the other way, wanting them to succeed at their task.

Fred laughed his ass off when he saw what she did to Edgecombe, practically disfiguring the snitch.

When George and Fred started toying with the idea to leave Hogwarts and put Harry's Tri-Wizard Tournament winnings to good use, Hermione cried, not wanting him to leave.

It was purely for selfish reasons.

The night before he left, Hermione snuck into his bed and gave herself to him. Fred's dorm mate had stayed with other Gryffindors, wanting to give the two lovebirds privacy.

It didn't hurt at all for Hermione. Fred was a caring and attentive lover.

He held her hand over her head, fingers entwined as he thrusted into her. Her free hand was on his upper back, nails digging into his shoulder as she let out quiet mewls of pleasure.

They maintained eye contact through most of it, making it much more intense.

She closed her eyes only when she came, the same with Fred.

They laid together with their limbs tangled with each other through the rest of the night. Fred whispered sweet nothings into her ear.

As dawn came, Fred admitted he was in love with her.

"Hermione Granger," he said softly, "I love you."

Hermione took a deep breath and nuzzled his neck, kissing his collarbone before sitting up a bit and studying his face. She gave him a smile, "I love you too, Frederick Weasley."

He broke into a beautiful smile and grabbed her.

This time they made love.

Later that day, Hermione broke her rules and skipped class to help the boys set up their pranks.

She cried that night after they left.

A few minutes later an owl pecked at the window. She opened it and the owl presented his leg and flew away after Hermione took the scroll.

She opened it quickly and read it.

The girls in her dorm watched her carefully, knowing everything.

 _My lovely Hermione,_

 _It has only been six hours and I already miss you dearly. But this is for the best. Hogwarts no longer feels like my home away from home. I'm sure you don't feel the same way, seeing how you're always full of hope that things will get better._

 _I just wanted to send you a love letter. I know women are into that sort of thing._

 _I love you dearly, and you're welcome to my flat anytime this summer. I want to hold you in my arms again._

 _Much love,_

 _Fred_

Hermione shed a few tears as she read his letter. Then Lavender did something that shocked her. She stood up and gave Hermione a hug.

"It's gonna be alright Hermione," she cooed, hugging her tight. "We're going to get through this with our heads held high."

Hermione sniffled and nodded as Lavender gave her a small smile.

The next few days the hallway was abuzz with the twins' stunt. Numerous students approached Hermione, wanting the gossip straight from the girlfriend.

Hermione would give a smirk and say "no comment," confirming that she had helped with some of the tricks.

After the 5th person approached her in the library, Harry and Ron finally realized that she had been seeing Fred.

Ron was a prat about the issue and stomped out. Harry simply shrugged his shoulders and said, "As long as you're happy."

The next few weeks were insufferable, then shit hit the proverbial fan as the Department of Mysteries Battle occurred, thusly proving to the Wizarding World that Voldemort had returned.

School ended and Hermione found herself going to Fred's flat above the joke shop very often.

She found herself there almost constantly after she erased her parents' memories.

They had a difficult conversation about how they were in danger and the Grangers allowed their daughter to erase all memories of her.

Hermione was now alone in the world. The house was in her name, but she was rarely there, bouncing back and forth between Fred's flat and the Burrow. She had instructed a neighbor that her parents would be traveling. So her neighbor looked after the house, with explicit instructions to only call Hermione in the event of a break in and then Hermione would contact the authorities.

Hermione foresaw Dark Wizards entering her home to hunt down her parents. Hermione didn't want the muggle police killed.

So she set upwards for protection and prayed it would be enough.

Her summer was filled with love from Fred, but she knew it was coming to an end when she returned to school.

He had grown distant as if trying to protect himself from the heartache of losing her.

Then they had a huge fight over the danger Hermione was entering when she told him how they had seen Malfoy.

Their relationship didn't survive the fight and they parted ways. Both hearts were broken, but the pride kept them apart.

Hermione cried for three days straight, Fred cried for four.

Soon, Hermione returned to Hogwarts where she threw herself into her studies and prefect duties, trying to keep her mind off of Fred.

Malfoy had also kept her occupied.

Hermione wasn't easily intimidated by him so she often was on rounds with him.

At first he would mumble insults under his breath. But it didn't phase her. His next stage was to remain silent unless the caught a student.

Then one day he started speaking to her.

"Why is Potter stalking me?" he asked simply.

Hermione balked and stammered, "I don't know."

"You're lying."

She sighed, "He thinks you're in cahoots with Voldemort."  
"And what do you think?" he asked, masking his emotions of him truly caring about what she thought of him.

"I don't know Malfoy," she sighed."You're hard to read. So I don't know. Just let Harry stalk you. Gives him something to do. He's just trying to figure it all out."

Draco nodded and they finished their rounds in silence.

Over time, he became more talkative and they had lively discussions about their school work.

She began to look forward to rounds with Draco, enjoying the discussions she never got to have with other people.

Draco also looked forward to it because he'd been in love with her since 1st year.

Eventually, Hermione was seeing him in a new light, where he was incredibly attractive and it made her burn with desire. He was still a git.

By no means did she have feelings for him, but she could use some rebound.

Draco's dark secret of having a dark mark was eating at him. He wanted to tell her but had no clue how she would react.

Probably badly.

Sexual tension grew, so thick you could cut it with a knife. Hermione wasn't sure where it came from but she wanted to ump Draco's bones. She knew it was simply for rebound.

After the holidays she made her move and drug him into an empty classroom where she crashed her lips against his.

It took him a few seconds to respond, but when he did, he proved to be an amazing kisser.

Hermione pulled back to speak, "Malfoy, I need sex, and I need it right now. Fuck me."

Draco didn't need to be told twice as he turned her around and bent her over the desk. He lifted her skirt and pulled her knickers down to her ankles where she stepped out of them. Draco quickly cast a silencing spell.

He then yanked down his trousers and pants to his knees. He was already hard for her and she was already wet for him.

He sunk himself into her folds, moaning softly. His thrusts became hard and rough, causing her to moan non-stop.

Subconsciously, she was comparing Draco to Fred.

Fred was never this rough with her, but she kind of liked the roughness.

The way his cock pounded into her, his fingers digging into her hips.

But Fred was attentive and took care of her first before taking care of himself.

Hermione almost cried but sucked it up as she realized what she was doing. She was fucking the enemy as a way to get over her ex.

She quickly accepted it and came to terms with it.

So she let Draco fuck her until he came. She almost came but he finished too fast.

Hermione inwardly shrugged. The point was rebound and suddenly she felt loads better.

The problem with Draco is that his feelings only grew stronger. He knew that she was still hung up on Fred and he was rebound, but he hoped to change that.

The next few weeks passed without incident. Draco was getting testier as the days went by. His mission weighted on him. Then Potter cursed him, putting Draco behind schedule.

When he finally returned to rounds with Hermione he stopped her in the middle of the corridor.

"Run away with me," he said suddenly.

Hermione looked at him puzzled, "What? Why?"

"Because I have a mission from the Dark Lord to kill Dumbledore. If I succeed, it will exacerbate the war. You will most likely be killed. I love you too much to let that happen. So run away with me." he pleaded.

Hermione shook in shocked silence for a few seconds before shaking her head, "I can't leave Harry to fend for himself. And while I appreciate the concern, I don't need it."

"But I love you!"

"And I love Fred. It'd never work Draco. When are you to kill Dumbledore."

"Next week. Just, just stay out of the way when I kill him."

"I should stop you."

"So why don't you?"  
"Because I'm sure Dumbledore knows your plot and he has an ulterior motive. I trust that he knows what he's doing. Also, I think you will fail. You're not a killer." she said simply.

Draco sighed and shook his head, "Sometimes I wish I hadn't been born. Unreturned love hurts."

"I'm sorry," Hermione said softly.

They finished their rounds.

From that moment on, they were back where they started. Draco not saying a word to her.

It hurt Hermione because she had considered an almost friend. But they were on opposite sides and she couldn't be friends with the enemy.

Finally, the night of Dumbledore's murder came and went.

Draco had actually succeeded and personally killed Dumbledore. It broke Hermione's heart. He definitely was her enemy.

During the summer, Hermione saw very little of Fred. She moved into the burrow with the Weasleys and helped with preparations for the wedding.

She was shocked when Fred approached her at the reception and asked her to dance.

She felt safe in his arms. It felt right.

"I miss you," he said softly.

"I miss you too," she replied.

"If we survive this, we're getting married. I don't want to lose you again. This past year has been hell." He admitted.

Hermione looked up at him with big eyes, "Are you serious?" she asked.

Fred nodded, "If we make it through, I'm marrying you. That's that."

Hermione smiled and pecked him on the lips.

Fred broke into a huge grin that was dropped a moment later when the Patronus arrived.

Listening to Potterwatch every evening was hell for Fred. He always feared he would hear her name. He didn't know what he would do if he heard her name in the list of the dead.

Draco had taken to secretly listening to Potterwatch every night. They knew things before they were made public. He prayed he'd never hear her name on the list of the dead.

Much to his horror, when Draco was called downstairs he found Hermione and her idiots.

He put up his mental walls and put on a poker face and pushed through.

When she was being tortured he almost drew his wand to kill his aunt. But Dobby interrupted him.

Later that night, he sent an anonymous tip to Potterwatch so everyone would know that Harry barely escaped the jaws of death. It further embarrassed Bellatrix and the Dark Lord The spirits of the resistance were raised.

Damned be if he was tortured. The furious look on the Dark Lord's face was worth it. That night he penned a goodbye letter for Hermione, just in case he died, and then told his mother everything. Giving her instructions to deliver the letter in the event of his death.

The final battle finally came and Draco was extremely conflicted. He didn't know what side to fight on. He was so tired of being on the wrong side.

He was running through the corridor when he saw one of the Weasley twins fighting.

The next few seconds were in slow motion.

A blasting curse hit the wall, and before Draco knew it, he was instinctively running across the room, where he pushed the twin out of the way.

He had a 50/50 shot of it being Fred, but he'd rather be safe than sorry. It was for Hermione. Always for her.

Draco was crushed instantly by the wall. He had come to terms with his death.

Fred stared in horror as the wall fell on Draco. Draco Malfoy had saved his life. And Fred had no clue why.

He didn't have much time to ponder the subject as the fighting continued.

Hours after the battle, Fred told the tale of how Draco Malfoy saved his life.

He didn't understand why Hermione instantly burst into tears. He figured he would inquire later.

The returned home to the burrow where Hermione snuck into Fred's bed and whispered her tale of woe.

Fred had a pang of jealousy in his chest but got over it quickly. He consoled Hermione by holding her and letting her sleep on his chest.

Gods how he loved this woman, he thought.

The next few weeks were filled with funerals for the dead. Hermione and the Weasley clan all attended Draco's funeral out of respect because Draco saved Fred.

After the service, Narcissa Malfoy approached Hermione and handed her an envelope held closed with a wax seal.

"Miss Granger," the tall blonde started with an aristocratic accent, "Draco wanted me to give this to you in the event of his death."

Hermione took the envelope and looked at it, wary of its contents.

"Owl me if you have any questions. But the letter should be enough."

"Thank you Mrs. Malfoy. I'm sorry about Draco." Hermione said quietly.

"He made a choice. You'll understand when you read the letter. With his death, my line is wiped out." she said morosely.

The words tumbled out, "You're still young, you could have another child."

Narcissa gave her a pained smile, "We're thinking about it. But maybe it's time for the purebloods to die out. We have caused nothing but trouble. Thank you for coming Miss Granger."

With that, Narcissa turned around and returned to Lucius.

Hermione sat on her bed back at the burrow, staring at the unopened envelope. She took a deep breath and cracked the seal.

 _Granger,_

 _If you are reading this then I am dead and my mother was successful in giving you this letter._

 _I hope I died a worthy death._

 _I am writing to you about 4 hours since you left the Manor. I was about to kill Bellatrix before Dobby interrupted me._

 _I am sorry for everything I've done. To you, Potter, the Weasleys and everyone in your circle. I am a downright prat._

 _A prat who is madly in love with you. Have been ever since first you. I tried to squash my feelings but it never worked. At the end of each day, I still loved you._

 _With that being said, I let you go. You would have never been happy with me and your heart belong to another._

 _Please honor my wishes by getting back with Fred. He makes you so happy and you deserve nothing but happiness. Marry him, rear his children, and don't let that stop you from chasing your dreams. Liberate the house elves, negotiate rights for centaurs. Follow your passions and dreams._

 _Live a full life in my memory._

 _This is my final wish for you. I simply want you happy._

 _With much love,_

 _Draco Malfoy_

Hermione hadn't realized that she had been crying until she finished the letter.

It was short but heartfelt.

Hermione sniffled and returned it to the envelope. She stared at the wall for a few minutes before heading down to the sitting room where she gave the letter to Fred to read.

Fred nodded in understanding and looked up at her.

"Take this relationship at your own pace love. We got decades to be together," he said softly.

Hermione sat next to him, curling up into his side and stared at the fire as silent tears slipped from her eyes.

Ginny snatched the letter from Fred and read it silently before looking at Hermione.

"Did you love him?" Ginny asked.

Hermione shook her head, "No. But he was my friend for a time. I still cared for him, so I'm sad. But that's okay. I plan to heed his advice though."

Her words were practically a whisper but everyone in the room heard them.

It was Ron who spoke up first, "You should honor him by publishing the letter. I never thought I would say this, but that prat did have some humility and the world needs to see that."

Hermione nodded, "I'll owl Narcissa in the morning and see what she wants."

Three years later, Hermione was a blushing bride walking down the aisle to Fred.

She wound up rearing five of his babies, liberating the elves, and following her dreams. Just like Draco wanted.

But in the back of her mind, usually late at night when she couldn't sleep as she laid next to Fred, she always wondered "what if?" It was the one things she couldn't come to terms with.

 **_  
SO I hope you enjoyed this. I wrote the entire thing in one night when I couldn't sleep. Proud of my accomplishment. Please leave reviews I want to know how I did with zero sleep! I will be posting a few more plot bunnies next week when I get access to computers. I've been handwriting everything! Thanks for understanding you wonderful people!**


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